The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow

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Pure pop perfection.

By Chris Carle

With Oh, Inverted World, the small New Mexico band known quirkily as The Shins established themselves as indie rock super-darlings, and with good cause. Oh, Inverted World is almost infinitely listenable, with sweet and sour hooks, unmistakable vocals and severe pop sensibility.

The follow-up, Chutes Too Narrow, kicks out the jams a little, but it's true to the original record, but stretches the range a little. As a wholeChutes is more complex, more varied, and more daring than Oh, but it maintains its identity and the signature sound of the band. In short, it's everything a sophomore album should be.

The first track, "Kissing the Lipless," starts mellow enough, with a simple acoustic guitar accompaniment. But a minute in, it explodes into a full-blown, impassioned plea of a sound, cranking up both the vocals and longing.

"Mine's Not a High Horse" is more of a driving ballad, with a rolling bass line and flawless chorus hook. But the real gem on the record is "So Says I," a rocking-good tune with an inescapable catchiness (just try to resist the urge to sing along). It's a masterpiece of both indie rock and pop.

It's followed by the ambling "Young Pilgrims" (which hearkens back to Oh, Inverted World) before launching into "Saint Simon," the perfect Shins song. At once quirky and nostalgic, it features bleary-eyed melodies and soaring harmonies, and the perfect blend of strings and xylophone. Like "New Slang," (featured heavily in Garden State), it is also nearly a perfect pop song.

The rest of the album is a back-and-forth of rockers and laid-back numbers. "Gone for Good" ventures into alt-country territory and "Those to Come" goes to a zen place, but it all works. The disc is short at ten tracks, but it never outlasts its welcome, and there isn't a single throw-away track on it. Pure bliss.